Footballer Andy went from being Perth Glory's top scorer to the central figure in the club's darkest hour. They made undisclosed salary payments through his wife, concealed a portion of his salary through so-called sponsorship deals with a company owned by his uncle and failed to declare agent costs to Football Federation of Australia.

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In systematically rorting the A-League salary cap last season, Perth Glory owner Tony Sage and his former chief executive Jason Brewer dragged that family's name through mud in the process of deliberately cheating the system by $500,000. It made for a hard time to be Keogh, at least that's how it seemed.

"It was interesting. My uncle had a laugh about it, he said it made him more famous around Perth," Keogh said.

Second time luckier: Andy Keogh is back at the Perth Glory. Photo: Getty Images

Craic aside, that event forced the Ireland international to leave the city he planned to call home. Being tarnished - alongside others - prompted him to leave for rural Thailand.

Few were surprised to see him at the departure lounge at Perth Airport alongside eight other players who formed the salary cap exodus. So why was he the only player to return so soon after it all went wrong?

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"There was a dark cloud hanging over and the opportunity arose. At first I didn't want to do it but after negotiations I decided that it might be best to go for it," he said.

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In favour of offers from England, Australia and other Asian nations, Keogh joined Thai club Ratchaburi. What promised to be a foreign adventure quickly became a demoralising experience. No gym was offered, players travelled without meals, and that's before the quality of football is discussed.

"I took a gamble going there, I wanted to experience playing in Asia, but I think I made the wrong choice. They tried to go from A to Z while missing everything in between," Keogh said.

Overseas and alone, it wasn't long before he looked elsewhere. Offers from Championship clubs hunting for promotion arrived, but there was only one league Keogh wanted to come back to.

It wasn't just the quality of life and close-knit family in Perth that made him want to return, but the high standard of the A-League that easily justified a lifestyle choice. Though, beyond that is his own commitment in spite of a reputation once damaged.

Of the $150,000 Perth Glory were ruled to have paid to Keogh via third parties, the club only honoured a portion of that. They owed him money - a considerable sum, too - but the way the striker sees it is there's also a debt hanging over his head.

"I felt I owed the club something, I felt I owed the manager something and I didn't want to just have one good season, I wanted to come and make my mark over the years," Keogh said.

Glory's allocation of foreign players was full and the FFA rejected his application to be registered as a guest player. Publicly, he didn't fit those requirements.

The main reason was that he had previously played for the club. Privately, his involvement in last year's turmoil - he was labelled "the poster boy of the salary cap scandal" by one official - also played a part.

"I was a percentage of what went on and at the end of the day, the responsibility lies with the club. We did our job on the pitch and they didn't do their proper job up in the office," he said.

Squad reshuffling made space for the return of the star striker.

A three-year-deal reunited him with his wife, children, parents, brother, uncles, aunties, cousins and best friend in a city where he's already making inroads to becoming a permanent and strong figure in their football community.

Far from retirement, Keogh already has his UEFA A coaching licence and has began gaining experience in the National Premier League with Irish-backed Shamrock Rovers Perth FC.

"I don't want to club-hop anymore, I want to stay, I want to win things and stay even longer after that to help younger players coming through," he said.

Alongside an impressive work ethic is a happy-go-lucky trait. He went from an adored striker to a maligned character, much due to the machinations of others.

The prospect of criticism doesn't faze him, at least not enough to influence his life decisions. Being with family in a city, playing in a league and winning silverware with a club he wants to call home is far more important, and if that means he's a reminder of the club's ugly past to some, then so be it.

"Do you know what? If you take everything so seriously you're not going to enjoy life," Keogh said. "Life's too short to worry about other people's opinions, just get on with things and enjoy what you do."